Our History

Established in 1979, Hobin Architecture Incorporated (formerly Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects Inc.) set out to craft a brand identity based upon unsurpassed client satisfaction and design excellence. Today, the Ottawa, Canada based practice has evolved from the two-person office headed by Architect, Barry J. Hobin into a team of over 30 talented and dedicated designers, technologists and administrators working together toward this common goal.

Our Values

Design

Service

Community

Collaboration

Office Culture

If there is a single thread that ties us all together, it is design in all its forms. For us, design is not limited to physical beauty of the environments we create, but the problem solving that brings them into reality. We are passionate and committed to the art and the social impact of all that we do.

We have become a successful design enterprise because of our clients and our shared desire for excellence. Understanding the forces that shape their worlds—both personal and entrepreneurial—is foundational to our mutual success.

Above all, we belong: To a Community of designers, place makers and city builders. To a Community of family, citizens and friends. We feel a deep sense of obligation to share our resources, financial and professional, to support the Community we value. We may strive to create beautiful buildings and vibrant places, but we realize that for many in our Community, life is fragile and challenging. We recognize our obligation to the broader concept of Community.

We believe that we reach our finest architectural expression when we work together as a single entity, but value the unique input and skills of each member of the team. Through creative collaboration and open minds, we achieve a better outcome for our clients and our business.

We work to make our office a supportive family environment. While the creative process focuses on the physical, people are at the centre of the enterprise. We believe that through a vibrant studio environment, nurturing individual talents, and providing fair compensation, we will build a design enterprise that will be sustainable.

Design

If there is a single thread that ties us all together, it is design in all its forms. For us, design is not limited to physical beauty of the environments we create, but the problem solving that brings them into reality. We are passionate and committed to the art and the social impact of all that we do.

Service

We have become a successful design enterprise because of our clients and our shared desire for excellence. Understanding the forces that shape their worlds—both personal and entrepreneurial—is foundational to our mutual success.

Community

Above all, we belong: To a Community of designers, place makers and city builders. To a Community of family, citizens and friends. We feel a deep sense of obligation to share our resources, financial and professional, to support the Community we value. We may strive to create beautiful buildings and vibrant places, but we realize that for many in our Community, life is fragile and challenging. We recognize our obligation to the broader concept of Community.

Collaboration

We believe that we reach our finest architectural expression when we work together as a single entity, but value the unique input and skills of each member of the team. Through creative collaboration and open minds, we achieve a better outcome for our clients and our business.

Office Culture

We work to make our office a supportive family environment. While the creative process focuses on the physical, people are at the centre of the enterprise. We believe that through a vibrant studio environment, nurturing individual talents, and providing fair compensation, we will build a design enterprise that will be sustainable.

Our Growth

We believe that our growth and success comes from pushing ourselves in new directions and learning from the experience of others. To that end, our team regularly visits other communities to gain exposure to advances in architecture and design that could be applied to our own work. Copenhagen, Malmo, Berlin, Chicago, New York, Halifax and Vancouver are some of the destinations we have reached as a group over the past decade.

Back at home, we regularly engage product suppliers and other educators with “lunch and learn” sessions to stay current with new products, and new ways of applying them.

Our Culture

Teamwork and collaborative thought are essential to our ability to generate ideas that push the conventional boundaries of good design. We nurture this team atmosphere by creating a healthy work environment and promoting activities that allow us to play together outside our walls. Sports teams, fundraising events, cottage retreats and international field trips are all ways we engage with one another and with our community.

Our Giving

The Hobin Architecture team has a long history of investing in our community – both from a design and philanthropic perspective. We consider ourselves lucky to live and work in such a dynamic city and to take advantage of the opportunities that allow us to give back to our community, while advocating for others to do the same. Here are a few of the organizations we have recently supported: